 |
 |
|
|
|||
| Frequently
Asked Questions; Q: How do I obtain a fire report? A: Just call Fire Administration at 850-932-4771. Q: When I call for an ambulance, why does the Midway Fire District show up? A: Midway Fire District personnel are cross-trained as Firefighter/EMTs or Firefighter/Paramedics. Personnel are able to arrive on average within 5½ minutes and begin initial treatment and stabilization of an injured or ill person. Our personnel carry the same equipment and medication that is carried on the County’s contracted ambulance provider. The National Fire Protection Association 1710 sets forth standards that patients requiring advanced life support (ALS) care receive treatment from a minimum of 2 paramedics and 2 EMTs on scene. The County’s contracted ambulance provider staffs their ambulances with 1 EMT and 1 Paramedic. Often, the District fire unit arrives on scene and is able to rapidly assess and treat a patient before the arrival of the County’s private ambulance provider. Q: Why does the Midway Fire District send a unit out to a traffic accident when there are no injuries? A. Midway Fire District investigates all motor vehicle accidents to ensure that no one is injured at the scene. We also assess the vehicles for fluid leakage and other possible hazards. The vehicles are then removed from the roadway when possible in order to free up traffic flow and ensure those involved are placed in a safe area away from the flow of traffic. Q: Why do I see firefighters just standing on the side of the road after an accident occurs? A. Midway firefighters are required to wait on the scene and protect any vehicle from being involved in a collision if it can not be safely removed from the roadway. Firefighters then wait until another public safety agency takes over control of the scene such as: Florida Highway Patrol or the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s office. Q: Is the Midway Fire District part of county government? A. No. The Midway Fire District is an Independent Special District chartered under Florida Statute 191. The District is governed by 5 elected officials from the public at large. Funding is provided through ad valorem taxes from property within the District. The District is approximately 26 square miles and is the same size in land mass as the City of Pensacola. The District has approximately 30,000 citizens which is about half of the City of Pensacola’s population. Q: I see your big ladder truck out when there is no fire. Why do personnel need to take the ladder out when there is no fire? A. The personnel assigned to the ladder truck respond to all types of calls. The ladder truck, along with the engine and squad, is completely equipped and licensed as an advanced life support unit just like an ambulance. The only difference is that the patient cannot be transported on a fire apparatus. If a fire breaks out, firefighters are already on the apparatus and are able to respond from wherever they are, giving them the ability to answer calls for assistance in a timely fashion. If firefighters were in another type of vehicle, they would have to respond back to the fire station to pick up the appropriate fire apparatus. This would result in a delay of responding to a fire. With fire doubling in size every 30 seconds, a rapid response with the right equipment can make all the difference in the world. Q. Why does Midway have a Hazardous Materials Team? A. Midway has a fully equipped Haz-mat team. All area fire departments respond to hazardous materials calls. The only difference is Midway’s firefighters are equipped and trained to mitigate the hazard properly in accordance with federal law. On duty Firefighters are trained and certified as hazardous materials technicians. Training was provided in house by qualified staff Haz-Mat instructors. The majority of the equipment on the Haz-mat trailer was paid for by federal grants. With highway 98 running right through the middle of the District, we are prone to having a transportation hazardous materials incident, and in fact have had several over the years. Cost for materials used and personnel time at a Haz-mat scene are billed back to the responsible party. |
|
||
|
|||